Kansas City Auto Repair

In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your vehicle engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected vehicle driving down Kansas City roads.Most fuel injectors for gas engines are known in the Kansas City automotive community as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. The fuel pump provides pressure needed to squirt the right amount of fuel into the engine. A few have recently introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines. They are now available at some Missouri dealerships. These systems inject the gas directly into the cylinders under very high pressure – many times the pressure of port injection systems. Although more complicated ... read more

All modern Kansas City vehicles come with fuel injection systems, so it's a topic Kansas City drivers need to know something about. The mighty fuel injector is a valve that delivers the gas or diesel fuel to the right place, in the right amount at the right time—to be mixed with air and burned in the engine.So how many fuel injectors does your vehicle have? There's one for each cylinder. So four, six or eight for most folks in Kansas City, Missouri. Some vehicles have 10 or 12 cylinders. The engine control computer makes adjustments to the fuel injector as it monitors the engine and other sensors. Fuel injectors are a pretty high-tech.I - 70 Auto Service can help Kansas City drivers with a fuel injector cleaning service. What's the benefit? In order to work right, the fuel injectors have to deliver the fuel at a precise pressure at a very precise time. It's important that the fuel is sprayed in a particular pattern as determined by the engine design.Over tim ... read more

Power steering is standard on nearly every vehicle in Kansas City, Missouri, these days. Now there are some exotic, new types of power steering systems, but for the most part, the general setup is a pump that's driven by a belt powered by the engine. Contact the automotive professionals at I - 70 Auto Service in Kansas City for questions about your power steering. The pump generates power that assists drivers as they steer their vehicle around Kansas City, Missouri. Power steering systems use hoses to move pressurized fluid back and forth. These hoses can develop leaks so it's a good idea to have I - 70 Auto Service inspect them at every oil change. A check of the power steering fluid level is on the list for every full service oil change at I - 70 Auto Service because low fluid can damage the power steering pump. And the fluid needs to be compatible with the hoses and seals, so it's important to use the correct type – just ask y ... read more

When winter approaches in Missouri, Kansas City residents break out the sweaters, coats, boots and mittens. We want to be ready for Missouri winter conditions. Your vehicle needs to be ready for winter as well. The last thing Kansas City residents want is to get stranded out in the cold. You need your vehicle to be safe and reliable. It's a good idea to get caught up on any neglected maintenance items anytime - but the stakes are higher in cold Missouri winters.There are some specific things Kansas City drivers need to do to have their vehicle ready for winter. The most obvious is having the antifreeze checked. If the antifreeze level is too low, it can't properly protect your engine, radiator and hoses from freezing. If your car does not seem to be making enough heat to keep you warm, your antifreeze level may be low or you could have a thermostat problem. Get it checked out at I - 70 Auto Service in Kansas City. If you are due for a cooling system service, now is a perfect time to ha ... read more

Working up a sweat is a great thing to do in a gym around Kansas City, but not in your vehicle. When Kansas City residents' vehicle AC Systems have a problem, they'll often feel it right away. The question is, how long do you put up with it? You know, the old comfort versus cost dilemma. But a more comfortable drive around Missouri has a lot of benefits, and keeping the AC System well maintained can help prevent repairs.A common cause of AC failure is water and air in the system. The system does not work as well with air in it. And water can cause rust that leads to damage of the A/C components. Also refrigerant, the stuff that makes the air cold, can leak out, reducing the efficiency of the system and making it work harder to try to cool the air. That is why periodically evacuating the air conditioning system and recharging it keeps the proper amount of clean refrigerant in the system for Kansas City residents, so it cools better and lasts longer.Kansas City driver ... read more

Your car might have an alignment problem if: it drifts or pulls to one side, your steering wheel is off center, you have uneven tire wear or your car doesn't feel like it handles right. When all of a vehicle's wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Running into potholes around Kansas City and smacking a curb or other object are great ways to knock your car out of alignment. Then, one or more of your wheels starts pulling in a slightly different direction and the problems begin.There are several things involved in an alignment check at I - 70 Auto Service. First, there's an inspection of the steering and suspension systems - their components should be checked to see if anything's bent or broken. Then the tire condition needs to be inspected. From there, the vehicle is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. If all four wheels are adjustable, they are lined up perfectly parallel with the vehicle's center line. If t ... read more

One might say the most challenging part of being an automotive service technician at I - 70 Auto Service in Kansas City is diagnosing a problem before it can be fixed.Cars in Missouri are made up of a bunch of complex systems. There usually could be a number of reasons for any given symptom. So, it's challenging to track down the actual cause of the problem. And it can be frustrating for the vehicle owner because it can take time and money to get to the bottom of a problem. If it's not something obvious, it's easy for the customer to focus on the fixing and not the diagnosing.Let us at I - 70 Auto Service introduce you to something we'll call 'Customer Detective Work' –  helping your technician find clues to what's wrong.We start with the detective basics: What, Where and When. Play along with me; You come in to I - 70 Auto Service and your car is making a funny sound... Q: Where's the sound? A: Around the right front wheel. Q: What kind of sound? A: Ki ... read more

Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among Kansas City drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should Kansas City drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around Kansas City?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero Missouri temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in Missouri?Do you drive often in dusty Kansas City areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around Kansas City?Do you drive in very hot or very cold Missouri weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest Kansas City on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on Kansas City surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil change recommendation is 3,000 mil ... read more

Let's talk about air quality in Kansas City. It's a global issue, but affects us wherever we are. Many decades ago, Kansas City drivers began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects health. But what about the air inside your vehicle?Now, it's only been in the last few years that cabin air filters have become common in Kansas City. You can look in your owner's manual to see if you have one. If you do, there'll be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty. If you live in an area of Missouri where there's a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often.You can also ask your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at I - 70 Auto Service in Kansas City. How hard is it to change an air filter on a car? It depends on your vehicle. Some are quite accessible; others take some doing to get to them. They're usually in the engine compartment or under the dashboard.Because cabin air filters are so new on the scene, some people ... read more

People from Kansas City, Missouri, love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than a Missouri road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it's great! But there's nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt.You can't always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip. Heading out on a Missouri road trip? Stop by I - 70 Auto Service before you head out to make sure everything is in good repair. Let's look at some of the auto maintenance related problems you might encounter on a road trip in Missouri and what you might do to avoid them.The most common vehicle component to fail is the tires. Of course, you can't always avoid a road hazard that leads to a flat, but you may be able to head off some maintenance-connected tire problems.A good tire inspection at I - 70 Auto Service wil ... read more